OUR COMMUNITY……….A WAY FORWARD

DRAFT COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY

2008

OUR COMMUNITY … A WAY FORWARD

Background

Our Community .. A Way Forward was carried out as a pilot project in the communities of Grantown-on-Spey, /Advie and Dulnain Bridge. The work involved gathering information on housing, social and economic issues; conducting a survey of all households; and organising a range of community consultation activities. Residents were asked to identify the best things about their community as well as improvements. Following an analysis of the information and community feedback obtained, priorities for action have been identified. Individual action plans have been finalised in discussion with the project Steering Group and each community.

Grantown-On-Spey – An Overview

Population

Grantown-on-Spey is one of seven major centres in the Cairngorms National Park with over 2,000 inhabitants occupying around 950 households. The population is increasing, with the number of households increasing at a faster rate. The population is ageing with a growing proportion of residents aged 60 and over.

Employment and the Economy

The local economy is reported to be relatively buoyant. Employment patterns are similar to the rest of although there is a tendency for both male and female employees to work longer hours. The construction industry is a prominent employer, with relatively high proportions of skilled workers in the area, in addition to which the service sector and the manufacturing industry both provide significant levels of local employment. Tourism is important to the area, with a considerable number and range of small businesses aimed at the tourist market.

Housing

There are just over 1,000 houses in Grantown, most of which are occupied on a permanent basis, with just under 10% either empty or used as second/holiday homes.

There is a scarcity of social rented housing, added to which house prices have risen dramatically over the last few years, and continue to rise, making it increasingly difficult for people living and working locally to access affordable housing. The household survey identified an unmet need for affordable housing both to rent and to buy or part-buy through the ‘Homestake’ initiative.

2 There are plans to build new affordable housing for rent and low cost home ownership in Grantown but it is considered that this will be insufficient in number to meet the levels of need and demand identified. Because of the shortage of affordable housing, there is a growing reliance on private rented housing, which is in relatively short supply.

The household survey identified a number of residents who find it difficult to live in their home because of age, illness or disability. For some, problems would be solved if their home was adapted or improved. Others however said they needed to move, in most cases to housing without stairs.

Services in Grantown

Shops - for the size of the town there is a fairly extensive range of shops on the High Street.

Council Services - the Council’s service point is used by people paying council tax and rent, registering complaints and raising general queries about council services.

Health Services - Grantown Health Centre has seen an increasing number of permanent patients registering. Ian Charles Hospital has 18 beds and provides A&E services. The acute shortage of NHS dental services will shortly be addressed, following the development of the long awaited NHS dental practice. Grantown Health Improvement Group is the local patient participation group and takes up issues and concerns, such as patient transport, home care services and out of hours services.

Schools - Grantown Primary School has 284 pupils. A nursery school attached to the school caters for 30 pre-school children in two separate sessions. Grantown Grammar School has 372 pupils. A small increase in the school roll is projected over the next few years.

Police - the new police station will be double the size of the old one. A revised shift pattern has been introduced to provide 24 hour cover although in effect this means that police are now spread more thinly on the ground. While there are concerns about the amount of police cover, there has been a substantial reduction in crime rates in the Grantown area since 2003.

Local Organisations

Grantown Community Council - community consultation feedback acknowledged the commitment and work of the Community Council. Events organised include: Motormania; Twinning Association; Festive Lights and Hogmany celebrations.

3 Grantown Initiative - Grantown Initiative is an umbrella organisation which aims to support and improve Grantown for local residents and tourists alike, particularly through its support for ‘community celebrations’. Successful projects co-ordinated by Grantown Initiative have included the Six day orienteering event and associated entertainment; the Craig MacLean Leisure Centre opening ceremony; and setting up Grantownonline community website and Grantown and District Times community newspaper – both of which won awards. Funding for Grantown Initiative has recently run out, with the result that the Initiative may be wound up. It is considered that this will leave a gap that will be difficult to fill.

Grantown Business Association – the Association aims ‘to improve the quality of life for the community generally and also for the business community’. Most members of the Association operate tourism related businesses.

Anagach Woods Trust - the Anagach Woods were bought and are now owned by the community through the Anagach Woods Trust. Membership of the Trust is open to all who live in and around Grantown.

In addition to the above a considerable number and range of community groups and clubs operate throughout Grantown. More than half of household survey respondents said that they or other members of their family regularly took part in organised activities and local events.

Facilities and Amenities

Young People - the YMCA Community Centre, which operated for many years as a village hall, was closed for a period of about four months. This meant that a key venue for facilities for young people and other community groups was no longer available. The lower floor of the YMCA building has recently re-opened as a youth drop-in. The building is large and lots of renovation works are urgently required. A sub-committee of the YMCA Management Committee has been set up to see what can be done with the building and if it can be opened up to other groups.

Craig MacLean Leisure Centre - the new, multi-purpose leisure centre, adjoining Grantown Grammar School, was opened earlier this year after more than 20 years of campaigning and fund raising. The target local membership has already been exceeded and the Centre is well used.

Other facilities and amenities in the Grantown area include:

 Grantown Museum and Heritage Centre – opened in 1999 the museum tells the story of Grantown’s beginnings through photographic collections and audio visual display.

 Cairngorms Farmers Market – originating in Grantown, the market aims to be a ‘travelling showcase’ selling local produce and products.

 Grantown Library is located in the YMCA building, with a mobile library serving Cromdale/Advie and Dulnain Bridge. 4  Sports facilities – including golf course, tennis courts, bowling green and outdoor curling pond, all organised and run by active local clubs.

Community Issues and Views

The community consultation and the household survey provided an opportunity for people to tell us what they thought about their community and what was needed for the future. Key findings are summarised below.

Living in Grantown

More than half of those responding to the survey said they had lived in Grantown for more than 20 years and in their current home for more than 10 years.

The things people most liked about living in Grantown were the scenery and the natural environment and living in or around a small town.

High Points and Successes

Asked to identify Grantown’s successes and achievements, the Craig MacLean Leisure Centre and the Anagach Woods buyout were the firm winners for the large majority of community consultation participants and survey respondents. Other successes most frequently flagged up were local events and entertainment (in particular the orienteering event) and Grant House remaining in public ownership.

Grantown’s Strengths and Assets

Friendly people were seen as the community’s main strength, together with the extent to which people volunteer and give up their time to work on various committees and organise events etc. The household survey indicated that more than a third of local people are involved as organisers/volunteers in the community.

Things to Value/Keep

Consultation feedback indicated that the Square and the High Street was the main feature that should remain unchanged. Safeguarding the woods and the surrounding countryside and retaining facilities such as Grant House, Ian Charles Hospital and the YMCA building were also seen as important. There was also a view that growth, both in terms of the size of the town and future house building should be limited and carefully planned.

Change/The Future

Community consultation participants identified an extensive list of issues for the future. Those receiving the most support were the increased provision of affordable housing, the development of a new community facility, improved public transport and making sure the proposed extension of the steam railway went ahead. 5

Next Steps and Action Planning

The lengthy list of priority issues for the future was reviewed at the ‘Next Steps’ community consultation event. Each issue was allocated into one of three categories of importance: high, medium, low. A number of these issues were grouped into the following themes for discussion by four groups:

 Housing  Tourism and economic development  Community centre  Young people

The draft Action Plan that follows has been developed by the project steering group. The Action Plan will be finalised in discussion with Grantown Community Council and (Community Planning) Partnership.

6 Abbreviations used in Action Plan

Agencies/Organisations AoCC Association of Cairngorms Communities B&SHF Badenoch & Strathspey Housing Forum CCC Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce CMLS Craig MacLean Leisure Centre CNPA Cairngorms National Park Authority CS Communities DMO Destination Management Organisation GBA Grantown Business Association GCC Grantown Community Council GCCo. Grantown Community Company GGS Grantown Grammar School GGS – MT Grantown Grammar School – Management Team GGS - PC Grantown Grammar School – Parent Council GGS – SC Grantown Grammar School – School Council GI Grantown Initiative GPS Grantown Primary School HIE Highlands and Islands Enterprise HIE – INEH HIE – Inverness and East Highland OCWF Our Community .. A Way Forward RSLs Registered Social Landlords SIM Strathspey in May Committee THC The Highland Council VABS Voluntary Action Badenoch and Strathspey YMCA – MC YMCA – Management Committee

Service Section CLD THC Community Learning and Development

Individuals FM Fiona Munro KD Karen Derrick

7 ACTION PLAN – GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY THEME AIM ISSUES/OBSTACLES Housing To increase access to housing of  Unmet need for social rented housing – housing lists and household survey all types and sizes at affordable  Demand for LCHO housing – household survey – but what is affordable? prices for rent and home  Proposed Mossie development – concerns that too many houses and risk of ownership over the next 5 years flooding  Future housing development: - Concerns about land availability, water and other services - Future sites should be identified with reference to Local Plan – East Station thought to be good location if adequate public transport provided - Needs to be carefully planned with houses of different types and sizes - Need ongoing involvement of local builders, not just big private developers  Future development should not ‘ruin character’ of Grantown by making it too big. ACTION Lead Lead Partner Local Lead Level of Funding: Time- Agency/ Individual/ Agencies Organ- Priority sources & scale Section Action isation est. costs Contact 1. Number, size, type, tenure and cost THC /FM & CNPA GCC High CS Short of houses proposed for the Mossie B&SHF Servite HA THC to be fully discussed and agreed by Muir Homes all parties, with the FULL CS involvement of the local community AoCC 2. CNPA to work with partner THC /FM & CNPA GCC High CS Medium agencies through Delivery B&SHF CS THC – Long Team/Housing Forum and with local RSLs community to develop appropriate Local and effective proposals to address builders unmet housing need and demand Landowners for housing. Proposals should: AoCC  include social rented housing for general and particular needs  LCHO at costs affordable to people living and working locally  be in keeping with the local area

8 ACTION PLAN – GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY THEME AIM ISSUES/OBSTACLES Tourism and To build on current  Fragile economy, e.g holiday accommodation sector Economic achievements to attract more  Need to attract more visitors and make town more accessible Development tourists to Grantown-on-Spey  Grantown Initiative has played a major role - important that similar type organisation can support development of local events to boost tourism and local economy  Concerns about reduced community development support for Grantown  Concerns funding sources such as Highland 2007 may not be available in future  Evidence needed of economic impact of community events ACTION Lead Lead Partner Local Lead Level of Funding: Time- Agency/ Individual Agencies Organ- Priority sources & scale Section isation est. costs 3. Look at feasibility of Grantown VABS KD CNPA GCC High HIE Short Initiative becoming a community THC/CLD + DMO company with wider membership CCC GI THC and close links with organisations AoCC GBA CNPA e.g. GCC and GBA. Consider DMO support options, e.g. VABS community development workers or a grant application for a consultancy project. 4. Prepare and submit a formal VABS CNPA GCC Low Short response to Scottish Government AoCC + consultation on community GI empowerment 5. Develop mechanism to quantify HIE – THC/CLD GCC Medium HIE Medium economic benefits of cultural INEH DMO +GI DMO events organised in Grantown. VABS GBA THC Check if evidence available from GCCo. CNPA Highland 2007 evaluation and/or consider small consultancy project.

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ACTION Lead Lead Partner Local Lead Level of Funding: Time- Agency/ Individual Agencies Organ- Priority sources & scale Section isation est. costs 6. Monitor proposals for new THC/CLD GCC High Short partnership arrangements for + funding cultural activities in the GI Highlands post 2007 and seek to GBA access funding GCCo.

ACTION PLAN – GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY THEME AIM ISSUES/OBSTACLES Community To provide a community hall in a Urgent requirement for a community facility. Potential options identified as: Centre central location for local groups  Extending Craig MacLean Leisure Centre and a youth facility developed  Renovating YMCA building with the involvement of young  Looking at the possibility of acquiring, renovating and converting the Telephone people Exchange  Acquiring a site and building a new facility  Developing a facility on the ‘foyer’ model ACTION Lead Lead Partner Local Lead Level of Funding: Time- Agency/ Individual Agencies Organisation Priority sources & scale Section est. costs 7. Establish an effectively co-ordinated THC/CLD CNPA GCC High THC Medium working group of interested parties, VABS + CNPA - Long with representation from the YMCA - MC HIE Community Council, YMCA Youth drop-in Lottery Management Committee, young GGS - SC LEADER+ people and possibly members of CMLS leisure trust, set up to take forward GI leisure centre project. Group to work closely with the local community to seek consensus on the most appropriate option to take forward

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ACTION PLAN – GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY THEME AIM ISSUES/OBSTACLES Young To improve the appearance of the  School needs to be ‘bright and welcoming’ and blend in with new leisure centre. People grammar school building and the  Landscaping/environmental improvements needed and better use made of space ambience of the school to make around school building, possibly via a funding bid to Eco-School Development it a social place rather than just a initiative ‘work’ place  More community events in the school needed to break down barriers and integrate the school more into the community. ACTION Lead Lead Partner Local Lead Level of Funding: Time- Agency/ Individual Agencies Organisation Priority sources & scale Section est. costs 8. Proposals to improve the school THC/CLD CNPA GGS – MT Medium THC Medium building and surrounding area to be VABS + CNPA developed, and sources of funding GGS – SC ECO- to be investigated, by the Pupil GGS – PC SCHOOL Council, Parent Council, School GCC FUND Management Team and Highland Youth drop-in Council, with the community helping with fundraising from time to time 9. Proposals to improve the ambience THC/CLD GGS – As above + Medium THC Medium of the school by organising more MT + SIM Cttee CNPA community events to be developed THC/CLD Drama club Local and taken forward by above CNPA + other local fund organisations, with additional input VABS groups raising from Strathspey in May Committee, drama club, youth drop-in and other local groups

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ACTION PLAN – GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY THEME AIM ISSUES/OBSTACLES Young To develop more youth groups in  Urgent requirement to identify what groups are needed and build on those that People Grantown, with the objective of currently exist – in doing this involvement of young people crucial keeping young people in the area  Need for increased awareness among young people of groups and services available  Need for more information and advice for young people. ACTION Lead Lead Partner Local Lead Level of Funding: Time- Agency/ Individual Agencies Organisation Priority sources & scale Section est. costs 10. Working group made up of young THC/CLD CNPA Youth drop- High Short people, youth workers and VABS in community development workers, + plus representation from schools GCC and other partner agencies to: Other youth  identify what ‘groups’ are needed groups and how they can link with the wider community  develop a ‘youth map’ for Badenoch and Strathspey covering activities, issues and gaps  prepare a readily accessible database of information and advice for young people and for those working with young people

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GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY – TOP PRIORITIES QUICK WIN Priority identified by young Upgrade of Dulaig Park people and during first round consultation FIRST PRIORITY Appointment of project worker to implement actions in four communities involved in OCWF project.

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